1960-05-21 — Page 15

A CHINA MAIL

FEATURE

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, MAY 21, 1960.

THE DERBY STORY

Surprises in French tennis tournament

Paris, May 20,

The French Lawn Tennis Championships here took a dramatic turn today with the retirement of top-seeded Mrs Suzy Kormoczy (Hungary) in the women's singles and the defeat of Australian champion Rod

Laver in the men's event..

Mrs Kormoczy, 38-year-old Budapest housewife and un- crowned "Queen" of Europe's hard courts, tearfully accepted e doctor's advice not to play en in her first match of the championships, against South African-born Mrs Betsy Abbas, who is married to B Frenchman Mrs Kormoczy sprained her left ankle. Young Laver, runner-up at Wimbledon last year, failed to hit his way out of trouble in third round mutch against Manuel Santana, of Spain, who won 0-1, 4-6, 6-4, 5-7,

6-3.

In the previous round the red-

haired Australian had

sur-

Men's singles-3rd round

Luis Ayala (Chile) bent ari

Only the King knew of the little

love.

man's

By REX LOPEZ

A curious flat silence fell on the huge crowd massed on the rolling Downs at Epsom for the 1908 Derby Stakes -premier Classic of the British Turf.

vived a match ball against Javorsky (Czechoslovakia) 4-6, Not the sudden, watchful silence as the field thunders towards

the post in this, the world's greatest horserace.

him. Laver's exit left only 6-3, 6-1, 6-1. two Australlar men stili in

the title hunt.

Other results

The injury to Mrs Kormoczy occurred when she was lead- ing 6-3 and 30-all in the first set. Mrs Abbas popped over a delicate drop shot, and, in chasing up court. Hungarian twisted her ankle. Other results today included:

the little

Women's angles-3rd round

Edda Buding (Germany) beat Nor the silence of tingling last second anticipation.

Jill Langley (Australia) 0-1,} 6-2.

beat Yola Ramirez (Mexico)

Heather Segal (S. Africa). 6-4, 6-3.

Mary Hawton (Australis) beat Mimi Arnold (U.S.) 6-4, 0-2. Reuter.

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HERALD

WELL, WE WON, JANE DONLON BOY WENT AS

F THE DEVIL HAS AT HIS HEELS

CREASE YOU'VE GOT TO ZELIEVE

ME? IT WAS THERE ON

MY HEELS, RIGHT THROUGH THE RACE. IT WAS AFTER ME - THE PHANTOM HORLE.

AND NOW WE'RE AFTER YOU, JOE ONLY THIS

· MORNING, JANE. SUPPOSE YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT DREEGF

SOME BẰNG SEAT HIJA UP,

PKNOW,

THAVE SOMETHING

ODD FORESHORTENING EFFECT

| TELESCOPIC LENS, GIVEA

È IMMERE DONLON BOY

LOOKS AS ANOTHER

STA IHOW YOU, PRINTS HORSE WITH HUMA.

OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

I TOOK VESTERDAY, -

COUNT

ATHENAY

THERE ARE) AND

TEN/

RUNNERS!

DEATHS WA

NEVER KNOW.

The vast crowd of 250,000 was stunned. Stunned at sacing & rather plaln-looking horse carrying unfamiliar blue-and- white racing colours flash past the winning post two lengths ahead of the cream of Europe's thoroughbreds.

Then suddenly, when the dust had settled, the silence was shattered by the elated shouts of a litle bearded man bounding two-a-time down the steps from the owner stand to the winner's eri- closure. "Slanorinella

la mia plecola, bella, brava Signorinetta

Röyal invitation

And when the horse was walked in from the course, he threw his arms around its neck and kissed it, unabashed.

Not until King Edward VII, who had watched the sensation- al race from the royal box, sent for the little man did the crowd recover from the shock.

They let up cheer.

A tremendous

But the little man looked dis mayed.

Puzzled, the King's equery sald: "Don't worry about your horse, someone will look after it."

"It is not that, sir." the little man said. "It is just that I am not properly dressed. How can I meet the king in my old straw hat and this old suit?"

Smiling the equerry replied: "The King knows you have a straw hat. He also knows all about Signorinetta and her dam, Signorina"

It was all the assurance the little man needed. Proudly he went to the royal box to receive the King's congratulations. And the crowd cheered itself hoarse,

A local character

The story of Signorinetta's victory at 100-to-1 odds in the Blue Riband event of the Turf may have been known to the Ring. But It certainly was not known to most of those who saw it,

For even as they applauded the little man,, many were still asking each other: "Who is he?" The little man, Chevalier E Ginistrelli, had come to England in 1883 from Italy. Nothing was known about him-except that he loved horses.

near them. He bred his horses, broke them, trained them. ralloped them, fed them and groomed them.

Newmarket, headquarters of thoroughbred racing in England. viewed Ginistrelll as somewhat of a mist. To Newmarket racing is a serious business, And Ginistrelli's unorthodox mathods seemed excentric to the extreme.

But the Httle man In his comical wide-brimmed

straw hat bothered no one and no one bothered him.

In fact, he became something of kcal chemoter.

At home, Glaistrelli plnrd and dreamed And despite his Star of Portici's questionable breeding, Ginistrell mated her with the best stallion money could buy-Si Simon.

The result was a brown, alert fly which he named Signorina, fleared with the care of a loving mother, Signorina be- came a brilliant two-year-old. She wor all her nine races, But ill-health halted her racing career and in 1892 she retired to sind,

Chevalier Ginistrell was not a rich man. But when he was offered £20,000, for her, he re plied: "You keep your money. keep my borse. I intend to breed a Derby winner from her."

Heart-breaking

He tried mating her with several of the best stallions of her time, but the results were heart-breaking. Year after year the mare proved either barren, or her foals were stillborn,

Most men would have given up and sold her for whatever they could get. Not sentimental Ginistrelli.

Be tried again and again. fashion. He would buy him for Cyllene was the saillon in Signorina next season.

But on the day that Ginistrelli, fed Signorina to a neighbouring stud to mate her with Cyllene, something hap poned that was, to alter his fortune--and write the most romantic page in the history of the Derby.

Signorina saw a stallion named Chaleureux grazing in a nearby field.

Never lost faith

Softly she whinnied. The stallion whinnied back. Emotion- al Ginistrelli read more into this exhibition of horseplay than most meh would have.

He had brought with him a string of thoroughbreds and a

"Signorina loves that horse" few brood mares Including the he said. "She wants to marry 12-year-old Star of Portici. She him. She shall go to him instead was of undistinguished birth of Cyllenc" despite the fact that her sire

was by Newminster and her And "marry" they did-de- darn by a half-brother to The spite the fact that the only Flying Dutchman.

commendable quality Chaleureux could boast was that he had won the 1898 Cesarewitch.

The result was Signorinetta.

As a foal, Bighorinetia was Ginistrelil a weakling. But nurged her like a baby. As a two-year-old she won one ..out of.... six-hardly 'enough to pay for her oats.

He built himself a house and stable at Newmarket, and there settled to realise his sole ambi- tion to breed a Derby winner, the highest honour attainable by racing men.

Glaistrell! treated his horses like children, allowing no one

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She was unplaced in the One the Thousand Guineas and in Newmarket Stakes, her final outing before the Derby.

But Ginistrelli never lost faith. He entered her for the Derby. He was determined she should compete,

It was not that the crowd al Epsom on that hot June day in 1808 had forgotten to pay tri- bute to a sportsman.

Understood

But no one can blame them for not having recognised Gini- strelli's racing colours as they passed the winning post first. On form, Signorinetta hud TO more right in that field-it in- cluded the King's Perrier and Mr W. K. Vanderbilt's Sen Sick II-than a carthorse.

But love and fallki had pull- ed off the impossible,

King Edward congratulated Ginistrelli. Then he led him for- ward and presented him to the people below.

In a grand gesture, Ginistrelli accepted the cheers on behalf of his Signorinetta.

smiled-and understood,

And the King stepped back,

Sports Diary

TO-DAY

Bowls

1st Division: KDC v HKFC. FC V

KCC, Recreio "E" INC, Recreto "W" y Talkoo, CCC v KBGC,

2nd Division: CCC v FC, PRC ▼

HNSCC. IRC "B" KCC: USRC

y

PRC, KFC V. CCC, KBGC V HERC, 3rd Division:- KDC v SC, FC v HKCC v USRC.

Golf Annai match for American Club trophy at Shek-D.

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